Beautiful 19th century French religious icon we purchased in Milan Italy. While this piece was sourced in Italy it is actually from France. This is an amazing piece with beautiful details and dates from the late 1800'S, Napoleon III era. There is a lot of relief in this piece which can clearly be seen in our pictures. This piece has convex glass on the front and is papered on the back which has been partially removed over time. The frame is metal and has a little rust on it and I have not cleaned it. It measures 3.5" x 3" x .90". This is a lovely piece with original glass.
There has been some discussion between the dealer and myself regarding the material used to make this piece. I feel that it is "meerschaum" which is a soft white claylike material consisting of hydrated magnesium and a silicate. However the Italian dealer calls it "kaolin" which is is a hydrated aluminum silicate crystalline mineral formed over many millions of years by the hydrothermal decomposition of granite rocks. I have a feeling we are talking about the same thing but I thought it best to share as many details as possible.
Please email with questions.
Any glare in our pictures is from our chandelier. The piece is creamy white although some of the pictures might look yellow due to the way I shot them.
